Gensokyo Railway Series 15 (Sanzu Stories)
by Pergold
Summary: The railway has a branch line that lead to the Sanzu River, there's even an artificial beach built by the kappas, though no one goes there because of all the dead spirits. These are some of the events that had happened there.
1. Prologue

Long, long ago, Gensokyo was different. Prominent humans and youkai like Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Alice Margatroid, and Yukari Yakumo looked and acted different. This is when ZUN first came to Gensokyo to make the first Touhou games. But then something happened, after the five game was made. A terrible youkai incident happened, almost all of Gensokyo was destroyed and Reimu was almost killed. Yukari Yakumo, whose powers enabled her to manipulate boundaries and borders, was aided by Reimu to seal away this Gensokyo and start a new timeline, an alternate Gensokyo. So everybody's memories were wiped out and those who were either responsible for what had happened or were in hiding, were forgotten and left behind. Gensokyo would never be the same.

One of the youkai left behind was Mima. She wandered the wasteland hoping to see Marisa, whom she had a relationship, or see Reimu, her adversary. Even ZUN forgot about her, as he was making new games about events in the new Gensokyo.

She lived in near isolation until Yukari returned. Yukari made an offer to her to come into the Gensokyo that almost everyone else lived in. She would see Marisa and Reimu again. When she came, the new Gensokyo was changing, the advent of the railway made travel for the humans safer and was a new source of income for Reimu and another shrine maiden Mima didn't know about, Sanae Kochiya. The two mikos fought each other, not with danmaku, but with made up festivals and ticket prices. Mima knew she had to get used to this Gensokyo, that was when she met Marisa for the first time in forever. The two quickly became friends and she even took Marisa out for a drink. However, Marisa's lover, Alice, was highly suspicious of her after an incident were a badly injured Marisa was left in a shed in Mayohiga railyard.

Now the akuryou and the magician, were on thin ice with each other, the beginnings of a youkai incident are apparent. With Marisa and Alice's relationship on the line, and Mima's reintroduction into Gensokyo being questioned. Something was going to give.


	2. Tugs

"Did you hear?" asked Kiyoshi.

"Hear what?" responded Hiroto.

"The kappas. They made ships, specially built for the Sanzu River!"

"Quiet down, Kiyoshi. Only shinigamis can sail on the river and you know that."

"Oh shut up Hiroto! You don't know that, I go to that harbor and I saw kappas and a miko working on a boat." said Ahiru.

That kept Hiroto quiet until the next morning. Ahiru was sent to work at the Sanzu Harbor. Ahiru was shunting some truck, when he heard a whistle. It wasn't his, and it didn't belong to the other engines. He was surprised when he heard someone speak.

"Hello, you must be one of Remilia's engines."

"Who's that?!" said Ahiru, spooked.

"I'm over here!" the voice said.

Ahiru moved away from the trucks and towards where the voice was coming from, then he came across a queer looking boat.

"Who and what are you?" asked Ahiru, surprised by what he saw.

"I'm Ten Yen, and I'm a tug boat." said the boat.

"Why that name?" Ahiru asked again.

"My owner said that's what one of the miko's worth, since she made me not require one of those shinigamis. Frankly, they weird me out a little." Ten Yen said.

The tug boat for its size, is the most powerful craft afloat, and the Sanzu tugs (more were being built), are the power behind the docks and harbors of the notorious river.

"We're really strong! Right now, I'm pulling a barge. I'm collecting some stone, it's being mined by some sinners from across the river."

"Now that's something. I gotta shunt some more trucks. I hope we meet again." said Ahiru.

"Bye."

"Bye." replied Ten Yen.

The harbor became busier as the days went on. The dead spirits of humans, the ones being punished for what they did in their previous life, most of them were sentenced to hard labor in hell. The stone was brought up to a dock on the Higan side of the river and the stone was loaded onto barges. The stone's properties were good for building and being ground up to make things like concrete or ballast.

More tugs were being built to handle traffic up and down the river, as some docks were built so markets and farms could send their goods to the harbor to be shipped by rail. The docks became busier than ever, even when Kiyoshi was sent down, things didn't get sorted out. But that's a story for another day.


	3. Dizeru Does it Again

Ahiru and Kiyoshi enjoy their work at the Sanzu Harbor. The new tugboats brought in goods from up and down the river, even some loads brought up from New and Former Hells, even from the Neatherworld and also from Makai. This included things like stone and a reddish colored china clay. But the extra work exhausted the two engines and the Scarlet Controller took notice of this and ordered a new engine. However, they were displeased to find out that Dizeru had came back.

"What are you doing here?" asked Kiyoshi, interrogatively.

"Your worthy vamp...Um, Scarlet Controller sent me. I hope you are pleased to see again." said Dizeru in a voice slick as grease.

"I'm to shunt some dreadfully tiresome trucks."

"Shunt where?" quizzed Ahiru.

"Where? Why from here to there! And again from there to here! Easy isn't it?" responded Dizeru.

The two tank engines didn't trust Dizeru as he had framed Ahiru for making rude jokes about the other engines. They refused to work with him.

"C'mon! Show a wheel Kiyoshi!" said the yardmaster.

"We're not leaving until we know why Dizeru is here!" replied Ahiru.

The Scarlet Controller was enjoying some tea when Sakuya told her that she was needed on the phone.

"Trouble at the harbor?...Engines not working?...I'll be right there!"

"Sakuya we need to head to the Sanzu River, I need to tell off some engines!" said the Scarlet Controller.

Dizeru was working alone and the cargo had piled up as no trucks were being shunted and hauled to their proper place.

"What's the matter with you two!" scolded the Scarlet Controller.

"We are on str-str-strike, sir." said Kiyoshi, meekly.

"Its that Dizeru, why did you bring him back?" asked Ahiru.

"Nitori wanted me to bring him back and you needed the help. Now _you_ need to help me. I've given him a second chance and you will too." said the Scarlet Controller.

The engines returned to work. The very next morning, Dizeru's brakes weren't put on good enough and he bumped right into Kiyoshi.

"Ow!" yelled Kiyoshi.

"That what you get for being a bunch of goody-goody two shoes." said Dizeru, rudely.

Later that day, Dizeru bumped a line of trucks so hard that their loads spilled out onto the ground. Ahiru and Kiyoshi didn't say anything, because didn't want to be tattle-tales. But they worried what the Scarlet Controller would make of this.

That afternoon, Dizeru thought we could get away with anything, was being ruder than ever. He shunted some trucks, filled with red china clay, and crashed them through a set of buffers and the trucks sank into the river.

"Good job there!" yelled Ten Yen from across the harbor.

"Next time, look where your going!"

"Oops." said Dizeru, realizing what he had done.

The trucks weren't salvaged until that evening, the trucks were all right but the china clay was lost. The next day, the Scarlet Controller arrived and she was madder than ever.

"Dizeru! Things worked much better before you arrived! I'll send you away again for how rude and incompetent you are. You baka!" said the Scarlet Controller, very bit of her loli body filled with raged.

But she had the charisma to change her mood on a dime and talked to the two tank engines.

"Will you two be able to work all this alone again?" she asked.

"Yes sir!" said the two engines unanimously.

They prefer having the extra work over having Dizeru around. They started off to work and they were shunting some trains, whilst Dizeru slunk away.


	4. Magicians On Holiday

Marisa and Alice were bored one day. They had spent the night together and they were trying to figure out something to do. Then Alice got an idea.

"Hey Marisa?"

"Yes, Alice?" replied Marisa.

"Do you want to go to that beach those kappas made?"

"I've wondered about that place for a while now."

The Kappas, in an effort to increase passenger patronage, built an artificial beach by the side of the Sanzu River. But due to river's association with the dead, it was hard to convince any humans to go there.

"The weather's nice enough to go." said Alice.

"Yeah, _da ze_."

The two waited at the Kourindou station, passenger trains did come, but its mostly cargo trains that came. But finally a passenger train did come. The two magicians boarded it.

Akemi arrived at the Human Village terminus. Ahiru was there with another passenger train.

"Another train to that resort or whatever it is?" asked Akemi.

"Yes. Not many passengers ever go." replied Ahiru.

"But the weather is getting better for it."

It was mid summer, July to be exact. Indeed more passengers were coming to board Ahiru to the Sanzu beach, it still wasn't a lot. Just the humans who were able to stomach the potential of seeing a ghost or watching Komachi and her boat.

The two magicians boarded Ahiru and after a minute the guard blew his whistle.

"I best be going. See you later, Akemi." said Ahiru.

"Bye."

Akemi watched as Ahiru left the station and he made his way onto the mainline. He passed by the harbor were Kiyoshi was working. Ahiru saw one of the new tugboats that had been built, he planned on stopping by and asking Ten Yen who he is.

"I heard they might be expanding the harbor." said Ahiru's driver.

The harbor was serviced and built by the railway, but the tugboats were managed separately but by a different board of Kappas. Soon, Ahiru pulled into the station. The horizon of the river looked hazy and the water looked dark purple farther out towards the Higan side of the river.

"So this is it, _da ze_?"

"Why, are you spooked Marisa?" joked Alice.

"I try not to think of it too much." replied Marisa.

The two magician ended up a good time as they practically had the beach to themselves. The two dared each other to swim in the river and both pushed each into the water, and it was alright! The sun was setting before they even had thought to leave.

"Isn't it pretty?" asked Alice.

"What? The sunset?" responded Marisa.

"Yeah."

"I guess its pretty."

"I love you Marisa." said Alice.

"Me too, Alice. Me too."


	5. Ahiru and the Other Tugboats

Ahiru had to pull a train of empty trucks to the harbor to be filled. The harbor workers were either humans who needed the work or whatever spirits sent to work by Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu. While this unsettles some of the human workers, most of them knew that being near the Sanzu River, these kinds of things were to be expected.

Ahiru made sure to stop and talk to Ten Yen, one of the new tugboats that work the harbor waters.

"Hello Ten Yen!" said Ahiru.

"Oh, hello Ahiru. What going on with you?" replied Ten Yen.

"Nothing much, just bringing some trucks. I saw some of the other tugs, who are they?"

Ten Yen began to explain to Ahiru who were the other tugs.

"There's Mob Cap, he's a railway tug."

Mob Cap was named that because the Scarlet Controller always wore a mob cap and thus wore one, it made him look silly at times, but he's too full of himself to take notice.

"He takes barges full of rolling stock and sometimes works with Kanabo."

Kanabo was the tugboat built for traversing the deeper waters, he was named after the studded metal clubs that onis would lug around with them. He would haul the barges from across the river.

Then there was Bushido, his strength was somewhere between Ten Yen and Kanabo. He pulled the barges on the Gensokyo side of the river. But Bushido was clumsy and often bumped into barges and docks.

"Ow!" said Bushido from a distance.

"That must be Bushido again." said Ten Yen.

"How often does he do that?" asked Ahiru.

"At least once or twice a day, thrice if its a really bad day."

Soon Ahiru's trucks were loaded and the guard waved his green flag.

"I must go now." said Ahiru.

"Bye, Ahiru!"

"Bye, Ten Yen."

However, as Ahiru left. Komachi was heading back across the river, Bushido wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into Komachi's boat! The boat almost capsized, but Komachi fell into the river. She swam and climbed back onto her boat and screamed at him.

"You miserable _manuke_! _Kuso kurae_!"

Bushido was embarrassed and got an earful from the kappa in charge of the harbor.

"What were you thinking! Next time, look were your going!"

"Sorry." said Bushido guiltily.

Ahiru the next day was taking a train to the resort built on the riverside when he saw Komachi and Eiki standing on the platform.

"What brings you two out here?" he asked.

"That damn boat nearly ran me over! I told the yama everything and we're heading to the harbor to tell that kappa a piece of my mind!" said Komachi.

"Yeah, If you had more brains than breasts you would have seen Bushido." replied Eiki, trying to give a fair judgement.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked Komachi, getting visibly angry.

"What I mean was, if you stopped being so lazy and paid attention, you'd move away from him!" Eiki replied.

"But why did you have to mention my breasts!"

"Because your body was gifted the ability to be a complete-"

Ahiru's whistle blew and the two stopped arguing.

"That's enough of you two!" said Ahiru.

"If your coming to the harbor, get in my cab!"

The shinigami and the yama climbed aboard and Ahiru took them to the harbor after leaving his coaches.

The harbormaster had the two come into her office and Ahiru left to get his coaches back, all the while listening to the loud arguments and watching the tugboat's reactions to the rather colorful language being spoken. What happened after is a story for a later time.


	6. Epilogue

Mima brought Marisa out for another night of drinking.

"Alice told me to be careful of you. But I'm not sure why?" said Marisa Kirisame.

"That Margatroid has some crazy ideas about me." replied Mima, taking a shot of sake.

"Yeah, but I still love her."

Marisa took a sip out of her mug. The two talked about things like how life had been recently and they also talked about Alice. Marisa didn't mind, but she was beginning to have some second thoughts on Mima, Alice did warn her about the last time she went drinking with her. So Marisa didn't challenge Mima to a drinking contest.

"I have to go pee, _da ze_." Marisa said, leaving to find a bathroom.

Mima smirked to herself and placed a small white tablet into Marisa's drink, she watched as it dissolved in the alcohol. Several minutes had passed before Marisa had returned. She took a sip and the two resumed talking.

"This should've had an instant effect on her!" thought Mima.

Whatever Mima had put in Marisa didn't work...just yet. As they were leaving, Marisa was about to pick up her broom to fly off, but something felt weird.

"I-I-I think I'll take the train." said Marisa, holding her head.

"I'll take you there." replied Mima.

Mima's plan had worked, as they got to the station, Marisa passed out. It was night and the other humans in Mayohiga were usually indoors at this particular hour, as they still weren't sure about the revived village's safety. Mima dragged Marisa to the back of the station, she passed a window and unbeknownst to her, the stationmaster was watching them. She picked up the phone and called Reimu and Alice. Mima had brought her to the back into a small shed, different from before and got to work. But it wasn't long until she heard footsteps and talking.

"That magician is probably in there!"

"Good! I hope she's passed out like before."

The voices were male.

"Humans." mumbled Mima, under her breath.

She hid under a table and waited for the humans to leave. But instead they entered, the humans crowded around Marisa and they were distracted enough for Mima to escape. But she came across Reimu, Alice, and the stationmaster.

"Where the hell is Marisa!" asked Alice.

Mima gulped, "Uhhh...Uhhh...Uhhh..."

Before Mima could say anything, a loud smack was heard.

"That's probably Marisa!" said Reimu and the three darted off to the shed were Marisa had been kept.

The humans quickly left, but left all their makeshift weapons behind. Mima had been framed. The next day, Mima was sent to Higan and was to face Eiki Shiki, the yama. Marisa was sent to Eientei, Marisa had been knocked out, but Eirin figured out whoever knocked her out, did it with drugs.

Alice gritted her teeth in anger, "That goddamn Mima! I wish Reimu would exorcise her already!".

The trial was set for next week, one of the things to be checked was the weapons Marisa was assaulted with. It was one of the few things that would incriminate her. Things were about to get interesting.


End file.
